Bargain smackdown: H&M vs. Forever 21/XXI

Retail tyranny at H&M?

Are you as fed up as I am with H&M? What's up with the big Cavalli shortage there? They hype the hell out of the arrival of the new collection by leopard-loving Roberto Cavalli on Thursday and then run out of the stuff on the first day?

There's this giant advertising campaign to create a lust for the cool-'n-tarty Cavalli fashions and -- what do you know? -- an almost instant shortage.

My friend Cheryl said she saw a sign saying "Sold Out" on the store on North Michigan Avenue as she rode the bus home at 5:45 p.m. on the day the clothes arrived. Sold out? Them's fighting words.

By the way, I just called H&M's store at 840 N. Michigan and the guy on the phone told me no more Cavalli is expected. "It was just a one-time thing," he said. "All we have left is a couple bras and a few men's shirts." Bet those "shoppers" who bought all the stuff up will be parting with it pronto for three times what they paid on eBay. Let's tell 'em what we think of THAT.

About this blogLove it or hate it, we all do it: Shop for stuff. Maybe you think of it as a thrilling pastime. Or, you'd rather have your tonsils removed without anesthesia than spend time at a mall.
No matter where you come on the Shop-o-meter, this is the place for you. Got a great find? A gripe? A question? A rant? Shopping adviser Ellen Warren wants you to be part of the conversation. And read her Shopping Adviser column every Thursday in the At Play section and her Just One Thing essay on acquisitions every Sunday in the Tribune Magazine.